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Bus stop buck stops at City: MLA

Ms Freeman said it was irresponsible of the City of Stirling to make a decision that impacted heavily on the community and not take enough action to progress the matter more urgently.

‘If you are going to take such a strong position then I would suggest that it is beholden upon you to then progress the matter to bring it to some sort of resolution,’ she said.

‘It is worth noting that subsequent to this I was given the impression from a letter on the June 11, 2013 that an agreement was imminent between Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) and PTA so it is disappointing that despite these efforts the Council and the PTA have not reached an agreement.’

Ms Freeman said she was disappointed in all parties involved to find the subject stagnant last week after being told the gridlock was close to resolution in June when WALGA drafted an agreement that was sent to the PTA.

‘This is a situation which the City of Stirling have effectively created themselves because they’ve ceased doing something for their community and they haven’t pushed it; they’ve sat on their hands and waited for someone else to do it,’ Ms Freeman said.

‘The PTA has sat on their hands and WALGA, while progressing it, have done it at a glacial pace.’

In an address to State Parliament on November 24, 2011, Ms Freeman highlighted that the City of Stirling had frozen installation of bus shelters citing the Disability Discrimination Act as the catalyst for the decision.

‘The City of Stirling decided on the record at council in March 2008 that it would cease the practice of installing bus shelters or hardstand facilities at bus stops until such time as responsibility for this infrastructure is defined,’ Ms Freeman said.

‘I can tell the minister that the commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act was the genesis of that decision.’